From National Negro Health Week to National Minority Health Month: 100 Years of Public Health Evolution

The year 2015 marks the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of National Negro Health Week by Dr. Booker T. Washington. Washington recognized the need to bring modern public health to impoverished black communities, and successfully launched the Health Improvement Week in April 1915. This movement combined health and sanitation efforts with sermons, education, and rallies and a call to health officials to improve the health of minorities. More >>>

American Journal of Public Health Special M-CHE sponsored theme issue on Ethical Research and Minorities

External funding support for this issue was provided by grant # NIH-NIMHD RC2MD004766 to the Center for Health Equity, School of Public Health, University of Maryland

141st Annual Meeting and Exposition

November 2-6, 2013
Boston, MA

The APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition attracts more than 13,000 national and international physicians, administrators, nurses, educators, researchers, epidemiologists, and related health specialists. APHA's meeting program addresses current and emerging health science, policy, and practice issues in an effort to prevent disease and promote health. APHA has a world of public health in store for you!

Forum on Race, Mental Health and Boys of Color

Who: Dr. Howard Stevenson, Professor of Education and Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

Where: The Maryland Center for Health Equity, School of Public Health Building Room 3302F

Why: Howard Stevenson is one of four distinguished guests participating in the "Pre-K to Prison Pipeline: Changing the Odds for Boys of Color" Symposium, hosted by the African American Studies Department at the University of Maryland.

This full-day event will encourage discussion on the education and incarceration trends among boys of color. Following the mini-forums, the four speakers will come together for a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Ruth Zambrana.

21st IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion

The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) and Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) are pleased to invite you to the 21st IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion, 25 – 29 August, Pattaya, Thailand.

The conference aims to contribute to the development of equity and social justice across the globe by offering a unique platform for dialogue on the best investments for health between participants from various sectors from all over the world.

Title: APPLICATION OF A DISPARITIES MODEL IN EXPOSURE, SUSCEPTIBILITY AND ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR INFLUENZA PANDEMICS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND POLICIES IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT

How Did Cause of Death Contribute to Racial Differences in Life Expectancy in the United States in 2010?

The trend in U.S. life expectancy since 1900 has been one of gradual improvement. In 2010 life expectancy at birth was 78.7 years, an increase of 11% since 1970. For the white population, life expectancy increased 10%, and for the black population the increase was 17%. Nevertheless, differences in life expectancy by race have been observed and have persisted at least since official estimates have been recorded. Measuring health disparities, including life expectancy at birth, is part of the Healthy People 2020 recommendations.

Community Preventive Services Task Force 2013 Annual Report to Congress and to Agencies Related to the Work of the Task Force

The 2013 Annual Report to Congress focuses on cardiovascular disease, the number one killer of men and women in the United States. The report outlines Task Force recommendations about proven means to prevent and control cardiovascular disease, gaps in the evidence about how to prevent cardiovascular disease, and suggestions for how those gaps might be filled. It also summarizes the full list of prevention opportunities reviewed by the Task Force, lists key accomplishments since the 2012 report to Congress, and lays out priorities and plans for coming years.

The State of US health: INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Innovations, Insights, and Recommendations from The global burden of disease study

The United States presents an interesting challenge to policymakers and the scientific research community. It is the engine behind clinical innovations that are reducing health loss worldwide. Its academic centers consistently raise the bar, training generation after generation of physicians, nurses, and other health professionals. Despite this, how health is experienced in the US varies greatly by locale. People who live in San Francisco or Fairfax County, Virginia, or Gunnison, Colorado, are enjoying some of the best life expectancies in the world. In some US counties, however, life expectancies are on par with countries in North Africa and Southeast Asia. This is happening despite the fact that the US spends more per capita on health care than most countries.

Call for Applications: ADVANCING FACULTY DIVERSITY

2013-2014 Program

Building upon our highly successful NSF ADVANCE initiatives, this program will be co-lead by Dr. Carol Espy-Wilson and Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, two of the nation's leaders of advancing faculty diversity. Together with UMD institutional support, they will establish a research enhancement network designed to advance the careers of assistant and associate faculty of color and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive campus for all faculty. This initiative is UMD's response and contribution to the national call for supporting faculty excellence and diversity while improving UMD work environments for all faculty.

UMD Awarded $5.9M Grant for Health Equity Research

February 27, 2013
By Alana CarchediUMD Right Now

College Park, Md. – African Americans in Maryland are three times more likely to die in infancy, twice as likely to die from diabetes, and much less likely to get flu vaccines than whites. The University of Maryland Center for Health Equity (M-CHE) is driving new efforts to eliminate such disparities—in the state and beyond—through a $5.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). more >>>

NATIONAL SYMPOSIUMCIVIL WAR TO CIVIL RIGHTS: THE WELL-BEING OF A NATION

Observing the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, this symposium will be both commemorative and forward-looking. Hosted by the Clarice Smith Center, in partnership with the UMD School of Public Policy and the UMD School of Public Health, the symposium will be comprised of scholarly presentations and stimulating theatrical performances. It will place the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in its> historic context, both as the culmination of the struggle since the Emancipation Proclamation and as the stage-setting for a new generation of struggles to address the important — but often hidden — inequalities of our time. >>>

with Sections on Gender-specific Health and Jurisdiction-specific Health
Third Edition: December 2012

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and its Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities have placed priority on the elimination of health disparities among the State's population. This CHARTBOOK provides essential information for identifying and measuring disparities, determining the causes of disparities, planning interventions that work, and tracking progress.

Use this Chartbook like a dictionary, search for diseases, population groups, and local communities to answer your questions. There is some information on most disparities data-related subjects as well as recent website references that lead to other sources and further information.

Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence

Exposure to violence is a national crisis that affects approximately two out of every three of our children. Of the 76 million children currently residing in the United States, an estimated 46 million can expect to have their lives touched by violence, crime, abuse, and psychological trauma this year. In 1979, U.S. Surgeon General Julius B. Richmond declared violence a public health crisis of the highest priority, and yet 33 years later that crisis remains. Whether the violence occurs in children's homes, neighborhoods, schools, playgrounds or playing fields, locker rooms, places of worship, shelters, streets, or in juvenile detention centers, the exposure of children to violence is a uniquely traumatic experience that has the potential to profoundly derail the child's security, health, happiness, and ability to grow and learn — with effects lasting well into adulthood.

The Maryland Center for Health Equity (M-CHE) is pleased to host a group viewing of the 34th Annual Minority Health Conference: Constructing the Foundation for Health Equity >>>

What: LIVE webcast of the 15th annual William T. Small, Jr. Keynote Lecture

Who: Brian D. Smedley, Vice President and Director of the Health Policy
Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in
Washington, DC

How: Please RSVP to 301-405-8859

Dr. Stephen Thomas appointed to President's Commission on UMD and Big Ten/CIC Integration

December 6, 2012SPH

On July 1, 2014, the University of Maryland will become a member the Big Ten Conference. On July 1, 2013, we will become a member of the academic consortium of Big Ten universities, known as the Committee for Institutional Cooperation (CIC). >>>

Best Care at Lower Cost

The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America

RECOMMENDATIONS
SEPTEMBER 2012
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences

The Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America report offers findings, conclusions, and recommendations for implementation by key stakeholders to achieve a health care system that is consistently reliable and that constantly, systematically, and seamlessly improves.

The Rise of Residential Segregation by Income

By Richard Fry and Paul Taylor

Residential segregation by income has increased during the past three decades across the United States and in 27 of the nation's 30 largest major metropolitan areas, according to a new analysis of census tract and household income data by the Pew Research Center. The analysis finds that 28% of lower-income households in 2010 were located in a majority lower-income census tract, up from 23% in 1980, and that 18% of upper- income households were located in a majority upper-income census tract, up from 9% in 1980.

Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc)

Latest Release: Version 1.2.2 - June 26, 2012
The Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc) is statistical software designed to generate multiple summary measures to evaluate and monitor health disparities (HD). HD*Calc was created as an extension of SEER*Stat that allows the user to import SEER data or other population-based health data and calculate any of eleven disparity measurements. http://seer.cancer.gov/hdcalc

Webinar Discussion: Are Our Neighborhoods Making Us Sick?

Inadequate housing conditions–the presence of lead, radon, water leaks, poor ventilation, pollution or mold–are linked to poor health. But research also shows that even the neighborhood in which you live can affect both how healthy you are and how long you can expect to live.

This August 16, 2012 webinar was a roundtable discussion among experts in the fields of health philanthropy, community development and housing to learn more about how these sectors are collaborating to improve the health of communities and the individuals who live in them.

Join the Health Equity Movement

Community Health Assessment 2012

MedStar Health conducted its first Community Health Assessments (CHA) as a system for each of the nine MedStar hospitals in fiscal year 2012 (July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012). This new systemwide effort was borne out of the need to create a more organized, formal and systematic approach to meeting the needs of underserved communities. This opportunity is especially relevant in light of growing momentum and increased scrutiny around how hospitals are making a measurable contribution to the health of the communities they serve. MedStar Health's CHAs comply with the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mandate requiring not-for-profit hospitals to conduct community health needs assessments once every three years.

The Jurist

This academic year has been one of great challenge for the legal profession in general and for law schools in particular. Economic pressures which have transformed so many aspects of social life in the United States made themselves felt with a vengeance on the legal profession. Large law firms questioned their business model with some venerable firms either merging or dissolving. And law schools increased in number while at the same time coming under withering criticism for failing to deliver employment opportunities which some students believed were promised. These trends amounted to a perfect storm for legal education in America.

Pursuing the American Dream:

Economic Mobility Across Generations

The ideal that all Americans have equality of opportunity regardless of their economic status at birth is the crux of the American Dream and a defining element of our national psyche. This study investigates the health and status of that dream by analyzing economic mobility—Americans' movement up and down the economic ladder—during the past generation. Pursuing the American Dream: Economic Mobility Across Generations is an update to the Economic Mobility Project's (EMP) foundational work, Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America, originally released in 2008.

The Intersection of Health Services& Community Environments

8 Profiles of State-Driven Initiatives to Advance Population Health

There is growing recognition that factors outside the health care system have a tremendous impact on health and health outcomes. The recent passage of the Affordable Care Act has generated a broad discussion of potential innovation in the health system in order to reduce costs, increase access, and improve health. One critical thread in this conversation is a push to focus resources and attention not only on reforming access to and the quality of care, but also on systematically reducing illness and injury in the first place. State governments play a key role in furthering this conversation and informing the evolving thinking of how health.

Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
2012 Health Equity Report

The 2012 Virginia Health Equity Report draws attention to health inequities among Virginians of varying socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and urban/rural backgrounds. It recommends various inter-sectoral strategies and collaboration, for promoting health equity in Virginia. It provides a foundation on which partners and stakeholders can develop new plans/strategies and also receive/provide education on the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), with the goal of shaping policy and decision-making that promotes health equity in Virginia.

COMMUNITY-DEFINED SOLUTIONS FOR LATINO MENTAL HEALTH CARE DISPARITIES

Many foreign-born Latinos entered the U.S. as migrant workers and, after years of hard work, brought their families to settle permanently in this county. However, the immigration process and transition from their country of origin to the U.S. has been difficult for this segment of the Latino population. Most have become susceptible to increased pressures to acculturate and assimilate, and additionally deal with stress from hardship and poverty that often accompany these difficult transitions. As a result of immigrating to the U.S., many Latinos have endured a range of life stressors and experiences (e.g., poor housing, abuse, trauma, stigma, and discrimination) that when left unaddressed and unresolved can lead to mental health problems.

Undocumented PatientsUndocumented Immigrants and Health Care in the United States

When they get sick, more than 11 million residents of the United States confront two flawed systems: immigration and health care. Through this research project, The Hastings Center is exploring the consequences of excluding undocumented immigrants and migrants from obtaining health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the continuing exclusion of this population from Medicaid coverage and most other entitlement programs.

Spare the Kids, Inc

The mission of Spare the Kids, Inc. is to provide Black parents, families and communities with a full range of alternatives to corporal punishment and to reduce the number of children that end up in America’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Our goal is to ensure that our children do not commit acts of physical, verbal or emotional violence towards others or themselves. We intend to break the cycles of low self-esteem, domestic violence, bullying, gang violence, poor academic achievement, poverty and incarceration. We will enjoin parents, teachers, clergy, artists, clinical professionals, and social service providers to reject the culture of low expectations so that our children will grow up to achieve their optimal potential.

The Oregon Health Study

The Oregon Health Study is a landmark, state-wide study of people's health and access to care. The purpose of the study is to find out about the health and health care experiences of people who were put on the Oregon Health Plan Standard reservation list. We have been studying the health and health care experiences of people on the reservation list since 2008. Results from the Oregon Health Study will be used to help leaders in Oregon and across the country improve access to health care in the future.

The Oregon Health Study is led by aunique partnership between public and private entities, researchers and policymakers, and local and national collaborators.

This policy brief identifies some of the policy strategies that are being studied and implemented in communities across the country. Prepared by Bryant Cameron Webb, a rising leader in medicine and health policy, we expect that this brief will be useful for policymakers, public health practitioners, community organizations, researchers, and others committed to improving the health of people of color and eliminating health inequities. This analysis furthers the Joint Center’s long history of work to identify solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing policy issues, and ensure that people of color can continue to contribute to the fullest extent to the rich social, economic, and political life of the nation.

RWJF Symposium – June 2012

To explore alternative scenarios for health and health care futures in the U.S. in 2032 with participants bringing diverse perspectives.

To share a vision that represents the aspirations guiding the symposium.

To agree on a small number of high value opportunities that participants can recommend to the nation based on the exploration of alternative futures. (Although the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is hosting this symposium, the opportunities developed during the symposium are not directed toward RWJF. Rather, they are directed toward the nation in general.)

To identify specific actions, programs, and organizations aligned with the high value opportunities for improving the nation’s health and health care.

The Health Equity and Prevention Primer (HEPP) serves as a web-based training series for public health practitioners and advocates interested in policy advocacy, community change, and multi-sector engagement to achieve health equity.

The Primer helps practitioners integrate a health equity lens into their initiatives in pursuit of overall health and safety.

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention

Recalling its previous concluding observations (CERD/C/ISR/CO/13, para. 32), the Committee strongly urges the State party to review its approach and interpret its obligations under the Convention in good faith and in accordance with international law. The Committee also urges the State party to ensure that all civilians under its effective control enjoy full rights under the Convention without discrimination based on ethnicity, citizenship, or national origin.

Health Care Cost and Utilization Report: 2010

Executive Summary

The 2010 HCCI Health Care Cost and Utilization Report is the first report of its kind to track changes in expenditures and utilization of health care services by those younger than 65 covered by employer sponsored, private health insurance (ESI). This report assesses the levels and changes in prices and utilization (including changes in the mix of services) focusing on 2009 and 2010.

This report is also the first of what will be an ongoing series of reports from HCCI. Future reports will provide updated numbers as they become available and focus on additional aspects of health care costs and utilization.

Key Findings from this Report

Per capita health spending among people under 65 is growing moderately, up 3.3 percent from the previous year but still nearly three times the rate of general inflation.

Higher spending was mostly due to price increases, rather than changes in the use of health care services: Prices for hospital admissions, outpatient care and prescription drugs all grew at a much faster rate than general inflation in 2010.

CDC Launches Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke Online Mapping ToolThe Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched the new Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke, an online mapping tool that documents geographic disparities in heart disease and stroke and their risk factors at the local level.

The Interactive Atlas allows users to create county-level maps of heart disease and stroke and overlay maps with congressional boundaries and health care facility locations. In addition, county-level maps of poverty, education, the food environment, access to health care, and other social factors are available.

Submitting Your Best-Possible R01 Application

By Sarah Webb
American Association for the Advancement of Science
May 11, 2012

Grant writing has always presented challenges for new faculty members, but the current funding squeeze at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has researchers especially worried. Many current investigators were trained in labs that that ran entirely (or almost entirely) on R01 funding. Scientists worked hard, and the month before the R01 due date was really busy, says Anne Churchland, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. But, “If you did good work and wrote grants carefully and published regularly, you could be thoroughly confident that you could fund your lab through NIH,” she says.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge.

HBO Films will Air May 14-15

Bringing together the nation's leading research institutions, The Weight of the Nation is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
The films follow the IOM's latest report, Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation, which articulates the most promising solutions to our obesity crisis. These films document the state of the problem, including how we got here and what we must do to solve it.Part I:Consequences and Part II:Choices will air May 14, beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.Part III: Children in Crisis and Part IV: Challenges will air May 15, beginning at 8 p.m. EDT.
HBO has asked its carriers to open their channels, allowing the films to be viewed by non-HBO subscribers. The films will also be available May 14-15 at www.hbo.com/weightofthenation.

THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION

About the Project

Bringing together the nation’s leading research institutions, THE WEIGHT OF THE NATION is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.

"The Dynamics of the Informed Consent Encounter: The Confluence of Race, Class and Power in Clinical Trials Recruitment”

Scientific American

May issue: Special Report on Your Future Health

This month's issue of Scientific American features "Tomorrow's Medicine," a special report that looks at some of the most promising medical devices now in development. Through this special report you have the opportunity to learn how nanoparticles could help detect cancer earlier, and how smart implantable devices could signal an imminent heart attack or help manage diabetes. After checking out the Special Report, take a moment to read about how therapies can modify recollection, why an autopsy serves as the best means to discover what ails us, new advancements in weather technology, and much more.

For the Public's Health: Investing in a Healthier Future

The poor performance of the United States in life expectancy and other major health outcomes, as compared with its global peers reflects what the nation prioritizes in its health investments. It spends extravagantly on clinical care but meagerly on other types of population-based actions that influence health more profoundly than medical services. The health system’s failure to develop and deliver effective preventive strategies continues to take a growing toll on the economy and society.

The National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Legislative Database (SCLD)

What is SCLD?
The National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Legislative Database (SCLD) is a program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that maintains a database of state cancer-related health policy. With decades of data, the SCLD serves as an important resource for research and analysis of legislation affecting cancer prevention and control.
Use the database to:

Evaluate the effect of state legislation on public health and on the application of cancer control science

Facilitate the application of cancer control science

Monitor legislative trends that may reflect changing public attitudes and practices toward cancer prevention and control

The Role of Obesity in Cancer Survival and RecurrenceWorkshop Summary

Recent research suggests that obesity and excess weight can influence cancer survival and recurrence. Given the increasing rate of obesity and an aging population more susceptible to cancer, there is mounting concern about obesity's role in fueling tumor growth. At an IOM workshop, experts presented the latest evidence on the obesity-cancer link and the possible mechanisms underlying that link, as well as potential interventions to mitigate the effects of obesity on cancer, and research and policy measures needed to counter the expected rise of cancer incidence and mortality due to an increasingly overweight and older population.

Full Show: An Optimist for Our Times

Angela Glover Blackwell on the American Dream

Angela Glover Blackwell has spent her adult life advocating practical ways to fulfill America’s promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for all. Now, with our middle class struggling, poverty rising, and inequality growing, the founder and chief executive officer of PolicyLink, an influential research center, finds reasons for hope in the face of these hard realities.

On this week’s Moyers & Company, Bill Moyers and Blackwell discuss what fuels her optimism.

“I’m not discouraged, and I wouldn’t even dream of giving up, because we’re at a moment right now where I think we have more possibility than I’ve seen in my adult lifetime,” Blackwell tells Moyers. “Part of what I’ve been feeling is that all the issues are finally on the table… So many people who are being left behind are now in places where they have voice, and influence, and they’re forcing their way into the conversation.”

THE BANKS ARE BACK– OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE NOT?Discrimination in the Maintenance and Marketing of REO Properties

As the foreclosure crisis continues to affect 1 in 69 households across the United States, or roughly 2.7 million families in 2011, banks are repossessing an unprecedented number of properties.1 As a result, a related crisis has emerged — one in which vacant and poorly maintained bank-owned properties mar once vibrant, well-maintained neighborhoods. But this problem has not affected all neighborhoods equally. This report documents an alarming pattern by many of the banks, lenders, investors and other entities that manage Real Estate Owned (REO) assets. They have engaged in substandard maintenance of REO properties in communities of color, while maintaining REO properties in predominantly white communities in a superior manner.

Making Data Talk: A Workbook

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is pleased to introduce Making Data Talk: A Workbook, which is based on the groundbreaking book Making Data Talk: Communicating Public Health Data to the Public, Policy Makers, and the Press.1 This workbook is designed to be a companion piece that enhances the information presented in the text by Drs. David E. Nelson, Bradford W. Hesse, and Robert T. Croyle, NCI researchers with significant expertise in their own fields. The information presented in Making Data Talk: Communicating Public Health Data to the Public, Policy Makers, and the Press reflects a careful synthesis of research from many disciplines, so the principles described in the book can be applied to a variety of public health issues, not just cancer. This workbook complements the various communication and education tools and materials available through the NCI.

E-Source - Office of Behavioral & Social Sciences Research

Inside you will find 20 interactive chapters with authoritative answers to methodological questions on behavioral and social science research. With contributions from a team of international experts, this anthology provides the latest information on addressing emerging challenges in public health

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTSECOND EDITION

Involving the community and collaborating with its members are cornerstones of efforts to improve public health In recent years, for example, community engagement and mobilization have been essential to programs addressing smoking cessation, obesity, cancer, heart disease, and other health concerns (Ahmed et al , 2010; Minkler et al , 2008) In October 1995, recognizing the importance of involving the community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Committee for Community Engagement, which was composed of representatives from across CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Two years later, that committee developed the booklet Principles of Community Engagement, which was published by CDC and ATSDR Principles defined community engagement as "the process of working collaboratively with groups of people who are affiliated by geographic proximity, special interests, or similar situations with respect to issues affecting their well-being" (CDC, 1997, p 9) We will refer to this second edition as a primer rather than a booklet because of its expanded size and scope.

BICYCLING AND WALKING IN THE UNITED STATES
2012 BENCHMARKING REPORT

What isn't counted, doesn't count. Government officials working to promote bicycling and walking need data to evaluate their efforts. In order to improve something, there must be a means to measure it. The Alliance for Biking & Walking's Benchmarking Project is an ongoing effort to collect and

analyze data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest cities. This is the third biennial Benchmarking Report. The first report was published in 2007, the second in 2010, and the next report is scheduled for January 2014.

Opportunity in Austerity — A Common Agenda for Medicine and Public Health

Faced with the growing pressure to reduce the federal budget deficit, government leaders have increasingly turned their attention to reducing health expenditures. In this atmosphere of austerity, public health programs are likely to be hit particularly hard as they compete for funds against the health care delivery juggernaut and as state and local governments, which carry out the bulk of public health activities, are forced to make further cuts.

The political vulnerability of public health financing was clearly illustrated in 2011 by Congress's attempt to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with House Republicans labeling it a $15 billion "slush fund." The Obama administration, though it initially threatened to veto a repeal bill, ultimately mounted a more tepid defense, proposing to cut $3.5 billion from the fund as part of the President's deficit-reduction plan. Many public health leaders believe this move is shortsighted and will hamper efforts to improve population health and reduce medical spending.

Urban Physical Environments and Health Inequalities

This report builds on previous research to explore two aspects of the urban physical environment known to negatively affect health: outdoor air pollution and heat extremes. Major sources of outdoor air pollution, such as industrial polluters and motor vehicle emissions, and factors that contribute to the formation of urban and micro-urban heat islands can be influenced through policy, programs and urban design.

This scoping review is the second report in a two part-series on urban physical environments and health inequalities by the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI). It builds on previous research by CPHI, which explored two aspects of the urban physical environment known to negatively affect health: outdoor air pollution and heat extremes. The objective of this report is to identify and review the extent, range and nature of interventions in the urban physical environment that have the potential to mitigate health inequalities. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, grey literature and consultation, the review highlights interventions in two ways. The first section uses a typology to describe what action is taking place to improve urban physical environments. This section also speaks to the extent to which the interventions that were reviewed have been evaluated, as well as to the nature of that evaluation. The second part of the report explores how the concept of equity was integrated in the interventions that were reviewed. This section presents a framework that outlines interventions according to five equity categories, which were informed by a consultation process. This framework clarifies the elements involved in applying an equity lens and may provide guidance for those interested in incorporating equity into future interventions.

Guidelines for Community Based Research Partnerships

This document provides anorientationto university researchers and community members who wish to form partnerships for community based research (CBR) . It was developed through discussion with university and community representatives who have engaged in CBR, including members of University Neighborhood Partners' (UNP) Community Research Collaborative and a variety of local experts and published sources.

Facilitating Mutually-Beneficial Community- Based ResearchsA Report to University Neighborhood Partners

University Neighborhood Partners (UNP) has chosen to reflect upon its past efforts and set a goal to define and encourage high quality Community-Based Research (CBR). Th is document refl ects UNP's efforts, in conjunction with Dr. Barbara Brown's Community Scholar in Residence (CSIR) project, to examine Community-Based Research. What does mutually-benefi cial, Community-Based Research mean for researchers and community partners? What are barriers to its success? How can UNP provide information and tools to overcome barriers and help facilitate successful research partnerships? What options would be useful for UNP to consider for the future?

The Hunt for Missing Heritability: Challenges and Opportunities for Novel Locus Discovery in Non-European Populations

Recorded Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Characterizing the genetics of complex diseases has, to date, focused on common variants and predominantly on populations of European descent. GWAS methodologies have been successful in uncovering novel susceptibility loci for common disorders but the heritability of many disorders remains to be explained. Now, a growing number of investigators are looking beyond European cohorts to study common and rare variants in populations around the world, including African, Asian, and other ancestries in the hunt for novel susceptibility genes.

Building on our inheritance Genomic technology in healthcare

A report by the Human Genomics Strategy Group.
January 2012

This report sets out a strategic vision for how the healthcare system in the UK – and particularly in the NHS – can benefit from the mainstream adoption of genomic technology. It also provides specific recommendations on the steps that need to be taken to realise this vision.

Genomic technologies have the potential to transform the delivery of healthcare in the UK, providing vital insights to support more accurate diagnosis of disease and inform therapeutic decisions – so that more patients get the right treatment at the right time. They can enhance preventive care and enrich our understanding of disease risk, as well as enabling outbreaks of infectious diseases to be controlled faster. Indeed, as the report shows, genomic technologies are already beginning to deliver these benefits within the NHS and UK public health.

YOUR GUIDE TO Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASHE

This booklet, based on the DASH research findings, tells how to follow the DASH eating plan and reduce the amount of sodium you consume. It offers tips on how to start and stay on the eating plan, as well as a week of menus and some recipes. The menus and recipes are given for two levels of daily sodium consumption— 2,300 and 1,500 milligrams per day. Twenty-three hundred milligrams is the highest level considered acceptable by the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. It is also the highest amount recommended for healthy Americans by the 2005 "U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans."

F as in Fat: HOW OBESITY THREATENS AMERICA'S FUTURE

Obesity is one of the most challenging health crises the country has ever faced. Two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and teens are currently obese or overweight, putting them at increased risk for more than 20 major diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It's not just our health that is suffering: obesity-related medical costs and a less productive workforce are hampering America's ability to compete in the global economy.

At a recent meeting for Institute of Medicine (IOM) staff, I delivered a version of my 2011 Frank A. Calderone Prize Lecture, which included reference to the seven deadly sins. As originally enunciated by Pope Gregory I in 590 A.D., the deadly sins are lust, sloth, gluttony, greed, wrath, envy, and pride. I used these as a foil to suggest there are also seven deadly sins of public health. Retaining three of the original sins (sloth, greed, and gluttony), I added four more: ignorance, complacency, timidity, and obstinacy....

Scenarios for primary care in 2025 and recommendations for working toward a preferred future

Forecasts by numerous health care experts strongly suggest that primary care is likely to be very different from what we experience today. While the recent health care reform legislation is driving change from a policy level, developments in technology, disease knowledge, health care financing, care protocols and modalities, and other areas are transforming the field of primary care. As these changes unfold, it will be essential for policy-makers, public health officials, health care providers, and others to understand the alternative paths that 21st century primary care could take.

CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report — United States, 2011

4 MMWR / January 14, 2011 / Vol. 60

CHDIR 2011 consolidates the most recent national data available on disparities in mortality, morbidity, behavioral risk factors, health-care access, preventive health services, and social determinants of critical health problems in the United States by using selected indicators. Data presented throughout CHDIR 2011 provide a compelling argument for action. The data pertaining to inequalities in income, morbidity, mortality, and self-reported healthy days highlight the considerable and persistent gaps between the healthiest persons and states and the least healthy. However, awareness of the problem is insufficient for making changes. In the analytic essays that follow, certain specific actions, in the form of universally applied and targeted interventions, are recommended. A common theme among the different indicators presented in CHDIR 2011 is that universally applied interventions will seldom be sufficient to address the problems effectively. However, success stories among the indicators (i.e., the virtual elimination of disparities in certain vaccination rates among children) can be used to identify strategies for addressing remaining disparities.

HealthLandscape

Interactive web-based mapping tool that allows health professionals, policy makers, academic researchers, and planners to combine, analyze and display information in ways that promote better understanding of health and the forces that affect it. The tool can be used to create maps from publicly available data sets including regional criminal justice, education, healthcare, and demographic data, allowing users to discover community characteristics and share information with health professionals, policy makers, and legislators.

Citizens Supporting Maryland's Charities

What is the MCC?

The Maryland Charity Campaign (MCC) is a workplace charitable-giving program that offers state employees the opportunity to contribute to charities using the convenience of payroll deduction. Currently over 800 charities participate in the campaign. An Executive Order signed by the Governor dictates how the MCC is to be handled. The campaign is administered by the Office of the Secretary of State. Duties of the Secretary of State's office include reviewing and approving the applications submitted by charities wishing to receive funds from the MCC; approving the operating budget of the campaign; and monitoring the Operating Agency that is responsible for managing the campaign.

National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity

In 1985, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a landmark report documenting the existence of health disparities for minorities in the United States. It called such disparities, "an affront both to our ideals and to the ongoing genius of American medicine." In the decades since the release of that report much has changed in our society — including significant improvements in health and health services throughout the nation. Nevertheless, health and healthcare disparities continue to exist and, in some cases, the gap continues to grow for racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, and other at-risk populations. Beyond the heavy burden that health disparities represent for the individuals affected, there are additional social and financial burdens borne by the country as a whole. These burdens constitute both ethical and practical mandates to reduce health disparities and achieve health equity.

Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health
2010 Annual Report

Over the past decade, remarkable progress has been made through advances in genomics, from the identification of genes associated with disease processes to the development of pharmacogenetic tests which can minimize adverse side effects and increase treatment efficacy. These discoveries reveal the significant potential for benefit from this rapidly growing area of science—however, the pathway from discovery to health benefit is still unclear for much of genome research and many questions remain. How can the discovery of gene variants or linkages between diseases and biological pathways be leveraged to improve treatment or prevention? What are ethically sound procedures for developing biobanks or using existing samples to address a new emerging question? What research infrastructures are needed to expedite genomics translation and how should they be funded?

Health, United States, 2010

Health, United States, 2010 is the 34th report on the health status of the Nation and is submitted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and the Congress of the United States in compliance with Section 308 of the Public Health Service Act. This report was compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics served in a review capacity.

AIDS at 30: The U.S. Epidemic

People are different. Throughout history, these differences have been a source of community strength and personal identity. They have also been the basis for discrimination and oppression.

The idea of "race" has been used historically to describe these differences and justify mistreatment of people and even genocide. Today, contemporary scientific understanding of human variation is beginning to challenge "racial" differences, and even question the very concept of race.

Are We So Different?

People are different. Throughout history, these differences have been a source of community strength and personal identity. They have also been the basis for discrimination and oppression. The idea of "race" has been used historically to describe these differences and justify mistreatment of people and even genocide. Today, contemporary scientific understanding of human variation is beginning to challenge "racial" differences, and even question the very concept of race.

Quyen Nguyen: Color-coded surgery

Obesity in K–8 Students — New York City, 2006–07 to 2010–11 School Years

Overweight and obese children are more likely to develop risk factors that can lead to respiratory, metabolic, and cardiovascular illness . The increase in prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in the United States since the 1960s has been well documented . In New York City, in 1996, an estimated 19.7% of third grade children and 21.2% of sixth grade children in public and private schools were found to be overweight ; in 2003, an estimated 43% of the city's public elementary school students were found to be overweight, and 24% of these students were obese .

A Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment: a Systems Analysis ApproachAn Interdisciplinary Science PlanReport of an ICSU Planning GroupOctober 2011

This science plan proposes a new conceptual framework for considering the multi-factorial nature of both the determinants and the manifestations of health and well being in urban populations. General criteria are presented for the development of research projects within this framework and illustrative examples of potential projects described. Projects envisaged for this science plan should be multi-disciplinary and collaborative, utilize systems analysis modeling methodology using feasibly-obtainable data, simultaneously address multiple aspects of urban health, and be designed to generate understanding and products useful to policy-makers.

Cultural competency in health care

As the United States becomes more culturally diverse, inequities in health care have been identified. It is a sad truth that, for Americans, the quality of health care received varies greatly depending on race, ethnicity, ability to speak English, socioeconomic group, or place of residence (especially if it is rural). One organization bridging this gap is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which for the past eight years has published the National Healthcare Disparities Report detailing trends in health care equity and identifying inequalities. In it, for example, readers can find that Blacks, American Indians, and Alaska Natives received worse care than whites for 40% of the evaluating standards, and that the poor generally received worse care than higher income people in 80% of these standard measures.

A Call to Action for Individuals & Their Communities

The ultimate purpose of America's Health Rankings® is to stimulate action by individuals, elected officials, medical professionals, public health professionals, employers, educators and communities to improve the health of the population of the United States. We do this by promoting public conversation concerning health in our states, as well as providing information to facilitate citizen, community and group participation. We encourage participation in all elements: behaviors, community and environment, clinical care, and public and health policies. Each person individually, and in their capacity as an employee, employer, educator, voter, community volunteer, medical professional, public health official or elected official, can contribute to the advancement of the healthiness of their state. Proven, effective and innovative actions can improve the health of people in every state whether the state is first or 50th.

National Library of Medicine Launches YouTube Channel

New Outlet Will Allow Access to Lectures, Training, Special Events and Other Video Content

The National Library of Medicine, the world's largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is pleased to announce the launch of its new YouTube channel, at http://www.youtube.com/nlmnih.

The NLM YouTube channel will post videos of database training, NLM exhibitions (such as an overview of the new Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness), public service announcements, lectures and more. Interested parties can subscribe to be notified whenever new content is posted on the NLM channel. The NLM site also features links to NIH YouTube channels and other federal health resources. Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/youtube_nlm_channel.html

Creating Pathways to Opportunity

President Obama has called for our Nation to "out innovate, out educate, and out build the rest of the world." To answer this call, we must ensure that all Americans have the foundation and opportunities they need to build a strong economic life.

In recent years, too many American families have lost economic ground. The recession of the late 2000s has left many middle class families facing unemployment and economic hardship, even causing them to fall into poverty. Many more families were struggling on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder long before the recession began, and are falling even farther behind today.

The Institute for a Healthiest Maryland

The Institute for a Healthiest Maryland website is hosted and managed by the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Launched on November 15, 2011, the Institute is supported by a partnership with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Summit on Childhood Obesity, held at the Baltimore Hilton on November 15 and 16, 2011 with over 400 participants attending, served as the “kick-off” event for the Institute and the founding of the “Healthiest Maryland Advocacy Network.”

The Institute for a Healthiest Maryland is a valuable new resource for citizens and community leaders. The website provides evidence-based policies and practices to better inform community leaders about changes that can promote healthy lives and environments, particularly focusing on obesity prevention, tobacco prevention, and management of hypertension and high cholesterol. It provides interactive ways to learn more about issues that are relevant to Maryland and affords individuals opportunities to get involved and join an action coalition to promote healthy Maryland communities.

Transforming Maryland: Expectations for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion
The Strategic Plan for Diversity at the University of Maryland

"Ethically Impossible" STD Research in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948

Presidential Commission

for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Washington, D.C.
September 2011

In april 1947, New York Times science editor Waldemar Kaempffert published a note describing an intentional exposure syphilis prophylaxis (prevention) experiment in rabbits that off ered great promise to
reduce spread of the disease, if only similar research could be conducted in humans. The investigators that conducted that experiment, which included colleagues of Dr. John Cutler from the relatively small world of venereal disease researchers, had shown that penicillin injected within a few days after exposure could prevent syphilis infections.

A New Way to Talk About the Social Determinants of Health

The Sept. 11 Commission Report as Graphic Novel

The 580-page Sept. 11 commission report is now a graphic novel. Two comic book artists talk about why they created the new book, The 9/11 Report, A Graphic Adaptation, and what they hope to accomplish with it.

HEALTH DISPARITIES CHART BOOK ON DISABILITY
and Racial and Ethnic Status in the United States

This report is based on a presentation requested by the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) in 2010. ICDR was created in 1978 to promote interagency disability research coordination and collaboration, and enhance communication and information sharing among federal agencies and stakeholders conducting rehabilitation research programs and activities. Dr. Brian Armour of the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), contributed data, and Willi Horner-Johnson, PhD, and Genia Taitano, MPH, of the Center on Community Accessibility, Oregon Health & Science University, conducted data analysis for the original presentation.

Primary Goal
Our goal is to ensure that clinical research supporting 1) the safety and efficacy of products for labeling purposes and 2) the validity of biomarkers commonly used to assess risk and to design therapeutic strategies is based on data sufficient for statistical power and derived from diverse subpopulations.

It is widely recognized that data supporting therapeutic options for women and minorities have been deficient because these groups were not previously included in clinical trials. Although the combined efforts of Congress, the Office of Women's Health at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been quite successful in reversing the shortage of data to support therapeutic options for women, the problem of obtaining data with adequate statistical power across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic groups has yet to be broadly addressed.

Welcome to the website for the Dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial!The Dedication of the Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC will take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 28, 2011, and this site is your official information resource.

The Dedication promises to be a historic event for the U.S. and nations around the world, as Dr. King’s vision and timeless beliefs continue to resonate with people of all lands. World leaders, civil rights pioneers, citizens who remember the hard days of segregation and those leading the next generation closer to Dr. King’s dream, will assemble together for the long-awaited celebration and remembrance.

National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities
TOOLKIT FOR COMMUNITY ACTION

The National Partnership for Action To End Health Disparities was developed with the mission of mobilizing and connecting individuals and organizations across the country to create a nation in which all people have a chance to reach their full health potential. This National Partnership for Action: Toolkit for Community Action will help individuals, communities and organizations from the public and private sectors work together to implement programs and policies and engage with the NPA to reach that goal.

This toolkit has been developed to help individuals, organizations and policy makers:

Raise awareness about health disparities – it includes descriptions of health disparities and their causes.

Engage others in conversations about the problem and solutions – it provides tools to guide efforts to promote programs and policies for change.

Take action for change – it provides information and tools to help individuals and organizations address health in their communities.

Unintended pregnancy in the United States:
incidence and disparities, 2006

The incidence of unintended pregnancy is among the most essential health status indicators in the field of reproductive health. One ongoing goal of the US Department of Health and Human Services is to reduce unintended pregnancy, but the national rate has not been estimated since 2001.

We combined data on women's pregnancy intentions from the 2006–2008 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth with a 2008 national survey of abortion patients and data on births from the National Center for Health Statistics, induced abortions from a national abortion provider census, miscarriages estimated from the National Survey of Family Growth and population data from the US Census Bureau.

FoodCorps

FoodCorps places motivated young leaders in limited-resource communities for a year of public service. Working under the direction of local partner organizations, we implement a three-ingredient recipe for healthy kids. Our Service Members:

ToolboxWelcome to NACCHO's Toolbox—a free, online collection of local public health tools produced by members of the public health community. Tools within the Toolbox are materials and resources public health professionals and other external stakeholders can use to inform and improve their work in the promotion and advancement of public health objectives. Current examples of tools include, but are not limited to case examples, presentations, fact sheets, drills, evaluations, protocols, templates, reports, and training materials.

2010 State Health Care Quality Snapshots

The State Snapshots provide State-specific health care quality information, includingstrengths,weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. The goal is to help State officials and their public- and private-sector partners better understand health care quality and disparities in their State.

AIDSVu

AIDSVu provides a high-resolution view of the geography of HIV in the United States, 30 years into the epidemic. It is an online tool that allows users to visually explore the HIV epidemic alongside critical resources such as HIV testing center locations and NIH-Funded HIV Prevention & Vaccine Trials Sites.

The data on AIDSVu come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) national HIV surveillance database that is comprised of HIV surveillance reports from state and local health departments. AIDSVu will be updated on an ongoing basis in conjunction with CDC's annual release of HIV surveillance data, as well as new data and additional information as they become available. A Technical Advisory Group was brought together during the development of AIDSVu and an Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr. Jim Curran, Dean of the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, is comprised of key stakeholders who provide oversight and guidance for the ongoing project.

GIS Use in Public Health and Health Care

The site addresses how GISis continually used in healthy research and promotion such as disease surveillance, community health projects, or other research projects which it has encountered. With many available functions to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data, researchers utilize GIS for disease surveillance, data collection, and data visualization.

The MacArthur Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health

The MacArthur Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Healthis a multi-disciplinary collaboration comprising leading scholars from the fields of psychology, sociology, psychoneuroimmunology, medicine, epidemiology, neuroscience, biostatistics, and economics who have been working together for the last decade. The network research agenda is organized around an integrated conceptual model of the environmental and psychosocial pathways by which socioeconomic status alters the performance of biological systems, thereby affecting disease risk, disease progression, and ultimately mortality.

The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

The National Institute on Aging supports the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), America's longest-running scientific study of human aging, begun in 1958. BLSA scientists are learning what happens as people age and how to sort out changes due to aging from those due to disease or other causes. More than 1,400 men and women are study volunteers. They range in age from their 20s to their 90s.

The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) is a long-term study of a random sample of 10,317 men and women who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957. The WLS provides an opportunity to study the life course, intergenerational transfers and relationships, family functioning, physical and mental health and well-being, and morbidity and mortality from late adolescence through 2008.

Presentation: New evidence that helped 1) assess how far states are from reaching the full health potential of children and adults, 2) raise awareness about the need to address social factors in order to close the current gaps in health, and 3) stimulate discussion and debate within states and nationally about promising directions for closing those gaps.